Advent Calendar
by AmadErik
Summary: With this story I wish all of you a blessed Christmas for 2019! Leroux based AU of Erik and Christine, prequel oneshot to the Devil's Little Face AU.


The concept of Christmas and Advent Calendar weren't unknown to Erik.

Mother, even if she hated him more than anything in his childhood, celebrated Christmas and Erik received something absolutely needed clothing garment usually, or a book he was partly excited about until he read it out, which had happened in a few days the most, but most likely it was only a matter of hours, and they had some tastier dinner that day of the year, which fact did not really make Erik excited, especially because of him not being welcome at the dinner table, and as just any day of the year, the dinner was given to him on a tray to be carried in his room and he was supposed to eat it alone, and Mother only wanted to see him again when he carried the empty bowls down to her to be washed. When Erik was old and well-trained enough, he was allowed to play something majestic piece of music on the piano in the salon as Mother was resting after dinner, before she would leave for midnight mass, without Erik, of course.

And the traditions were growing by the habit of "Advent Calendar" after Erik turned 5 years old, but not to make him happy, just to make him shut his mouth and stop asking for "more", as Mother feared Erik will again ask for that one thing he should never ever dream of- the kiss.

Yet it was a precaution totally unneeded and useless. Erik never ever dared or wanted to ask for a kiss since the mask being thrown at him, accompanied by Mother's heartbreaking cries. He contented himself with the small, mostly useless things he was given every day, for example a piece of sugar cube (Mother knew he wasn't too fond of sweets like "normal" children should be, she did even scold him for that, so she was aware Erik wasn't at all excited for candy, but "this is just common, this is how things are, I can't do anything about you not being like others"). It quickly became a routine, and something he wasn't interested of any more.

Until now.

Now that Christine was with him as his living wife by her own will, and it was the first Christmas season they had spent together as a married couple. Now Erik finally felt his life, and this useless holiday finally had meaning, other than the obligatory "give useless shit to people to make your conscience shut up". Finally it was about love, not duty and awkwardness. He wanted to make Christine to be the happiest of wives in Paris, if it was actually possible for such a monster as he was. For this exact fact, him not being a monster to his beloved wife, Erik made extra efforts.

Every morning since the first of December, Christine found a breathtaking piece of jewelry along with a bouquet of red roses on her bedside table. She did not understand when and how Erik always woke up earlier than her so that the gifts could appear by the time she woke up, early as well, and to tell the truth, she felt a bit of sorry for Erik, who obviously had to walk around in Paris after 5 o clock, to be able to arrive back with the gift before 7, when she usually opened her eyes. He was most likely walking in the cold and foggy streets alone, hoping she will love her gift…

And this exactly was the problem.

Christine felt a bit of uneasy and penitent for the reason of not being all happy and content about this, and some unpleasant feelings took over her when she saw the tenth of the ridiculously expensive pair of earrings. True, she liked jewelry, and she knew that Erik meant well. Yet…

She started feeling it was too much. Too much, too expensive and unneeded. She had only two ears, ten fingers, one neck, and two wrists. Even if she wished to change accessories from time to time for an occasion, she already had some pieces of jewelry, before she met Erik, she though she had just enough. She started feeling like a spoiled Marie Antoinette as she could easily have put a ring on each finger and she should have at least four heads to wear the more beautiful, favorite pairs of earrings at once. There is no need for so many.

She was feeling guilty a bit. Erik obviously put much effort into making her happy and she was still not a hundred percent content. She did not know which of them was right or wrong, that Erik took the Advent Calendar idea too seriously far-fetched and overworked, or she was the one who wasn't easy to please. She did not even want to tell about her feelings to Erik, because it obviously would make the poor devoted man sad, and hurting his feelings was something she did not want to do - especially not before their first Christmas spent together which was to be a silent, peaceful and love-filled holiday for both of them.

Christine finally started feeling she had someone really dear to her by her side after Erik finally calmed down after the wedding ad stopped his jealousy fits, not long before the season had started, and acted like a gentleman and a loving and devoted husband, just as he promised earlier. Just in October they were starting to accept everything was close to perfect and normal as it can be with a couple like them, after the wedding in August, and now should she ruin the hardly built atmosphere between them? She pretended endless happiness and smiled widely, but falsely, finding the another ridiculously overpriced luxury item, which gets even pricier before Christmas, by her bedside every morning, when Erik kissed her forehead and beamed with pride upon making his wife happy again.

At least she wanted to return Erik's endless spoiling her, but she was always late, or things did not work out the way she imagined them to be- at first she did not start doing the "calendar" habit on the first of December that years, and was extremely surprised Erik gave her a gift at the beginning of the month, and by the time she figured out the idea behind Erik's presents, it was already the fifth. How did it look like if she started giving him gifts then every day, being five days late already? Then at least she wished to spoil Erik as much as she could, but that man was HARD to spoil. He was so very independent and self-supplying that she literally could not serve him anyway. He was already fully dressed, mad breakfast and coffee, cleaned all the fireplaces and started fire in all of the rooms of the house and did the dishes by the time Christine had the chance to fully understand it was morning and opened her eyes. It was impossible to help him with anything as he was done with everything. Always. Erik wasn't too fond of meals, so making his favorite dish for spoiling him was also out of the question, for both that reason, and for Christine could not do a proper meal if her life depended on it. Even if she was following every single letter of the recipe, the outcome was either just tasteless, or in the worst scenario, completely inedible. But even if she was a master chef, she wouldn't have the time and chance to surprise and outrun Erik.

That strange man, even though Christine was aware he wasn't a ghost or a supernatural being, still, after not anymore living under the Opera house, in a normal environment, was just as unpredictable, and seemed to be at multiple places at a time, and seemed to be way faster and moved more silently than anyone she ever knew. He seemed to be always awake, never sleeping, never eating, hardly ever drinking, and if he did, it was mostly only a glassful of wine, with her. Christine sometimes felt she really married a mythological creature instead of a man, knowing it is an utterly ridiculous thesis, but she could not help thinking about Erik was just too strange an uncommon for people to fully understand him.

And how do you surprise and please such a person? And how do you spoil a wild and independent phoenix who does not bear boundaries either physical or mental ways?

She wished him to at least rest his mind sometimes, and would sing for him, hoping it will make him settle down and relax, but Erik was the usual music teacher side of that renaissance man who seemed to be perfect in each and every field, when she tried to just ease his mind. Spontaneous singing led to music lessons or Erik drifting away in his thoughts as inspiration hit him, and he would just forget about Christine's otherwise desired presence, and he just walked away to compose his music.

Music was also out of the question, as it resulted even more mental work form Erik than just letting him do his errands himself.

To be honest, she did not even know what to give Erik for Christmas, let alone the small gifts or favors in return for the Advent Calendar which was making her feel more and more uncomfortable. Sure, Erik was going to give her something which would make her speechless, a luxurious, overpriced something which will most likely make her happy, but will be definitely too much, too expensive and most likely unneeded. The poor man thinks she is a princess and she can't wear the same dress twice. But that makes her partly ashamed and partly furious, thinking of it. Why to waste perfectly beautiful and new dresses and shoes just because they "were already worn"? Why does he have to spend so much on her? Can't he understand what is enough? He just wants the best for her, of course, and give here everything, especially knowing she had to live among poorer circumstances when she was a child, but partly because of this exact fact, Christine wasn't happy about this endless wakefulness. She learned to take a good care of clothing and her belongings, and they weren't over worn even after years. She wished Erik not to spend so much on her, and yet she did not wish to hurt the man who cared for her the most since Prof. Valerius died, without a doubt.

So she could not ask him to stop, and could not repay him anyway…

Until the day of 19th of December helped her on its accidental way.

It was a bleak, windy and icily unfriendly morning, and Erik made a mistake of accidentally oversleeping somehow. By the time he woke up, it was already close to seven. Christine was going to wake soon, and he could not go out to buy her gift yet, and by the time she opens her eyes, it SHOULD and definitely HAS TO be on her bedside table to make everything perfect. If not, then he can just easily forget about Christmasy nonsense because everything collapses like a house of cards, the structure will fall, and all will be ruined! Hurriedly, to save most of the remaining plan he dressed up, and suspiciously eyeing his still sleeping wife by one of his eyes constantly, he finally was able to leave for the shopping.

He did not get too far though.

Once he stepped out of the apartment they were living in until their house he was working on gets fully finished and ready to move, he noticed the roads and the sidewalks had contiguous layer of ice on them, making people slip and fall rather ungracefully, step by step. This, in itself wasn't enough to make him turn back, but he was annoyed ice will noticeably and majorly slow him down, and most likely he won't arrive home too soon. But he was great at balancing mostly, even on ice, he hardly ever slipped or fell. He had a technique which worked perfectly with walking without too much effort or difficulties. It will just take much more time than how he would have imagined it, and he did not like if something messed with his planning. He was cursing in his mind, why on Earth he did not buy a few gifts forward and why did not he expect of ice happening in wintertime. And why did he have to oversleep once in his life?

Nothing wrong would have happened if he did not get lost in his thoughts too much, and if he did not get startled up from his musings while walking on the icy road by a voice behind his back.

"Where are you going in this weather, come on?"

He turned back too abruptly, which resulted in him completely losing his balance, and he wasn't any more able to correct his step, and he fell.

"Oh Erik!" She approached him slowly, leaning closer to him. "I told you, this weather isn't for going anywhere."

Erik did not reply right away. He was sitting on the ground, looking up at Christine who just seemingly abruptly put on a headscarf to be able to follow him. He sighed. He was a bit annoyed, for two reasons. Firstly, he did not want Christine to wake up and find out how he goes shopping for her in the morning. He thought it will ruin the magic. And secondly… he had "déja vu". This painfully awkward situation had happened to him the winter before as well.

He slipped on ice and fell while a bunch of snotty kids were throwing snowballs at him, laughing at him for his skull face and fake nose he wore, and were calling him by various ugly nicknames. And Christine was there to witness it. She was the one helping him up, even though they did not officially meet back then, she was only meeting his voice. That was the first time she saw him in person. A rather graceless situation and Erik did not like to recall the real circumstances among they had first met for real.

"Great. Will I fall on bloody ice every winter in front of you from now on?"

He snorted, asking the question which was bothering him the most.

" Does it hurt somewhere?" The sweet wife asked with compassion, examining Erik. "Can you get up or shall I help you?"

" I can." Erik murmured under his artificially made human mask nose, but suddenly he realized something.

Christine was worried about his well-being. And back then, when they did not even know each other, Christine asked the same question. She liked him… and wanted to help him… why not to let her… instead of standing up on his own, he reached out his hand for Christine, and looked up.

"I mean… Although I can stand up… I don't mind you helping me."

Christine, with a huge smile all over her beautiful face, finally feeling needed and useful to Erik, gladly took his arm and helped Erik to stand up from the ground.

"Thank you dear." He smiled, couldn't help it, and kissed Christine on the forehead.

"I thank you." Christine brushed some snow off of Erik's shoulder and hugged his arm.

"What for?" He looked at her with surprise. " I did not even give your gift yet."

"But yes, you did." Christine leaned her head on Erik's chest, stroking his back. "The most beautiful one in the whole season."

Silence.

Erik was staring at her with his eyes growing wide open of surprise, and later, from being touched to his heart. Yes. Finally he just understood he forgot about something: that he, as a child, did not ask for expensive presents and luxury… but simple acts of love. Why did he think Christine wanted something else than that?

With a smile, both of them walked back to the apartment carefully, to spend the rest of that unfriendly but beautiful day together.

The gifts were already given.


End file.
